Days 30 & 31: Overnight Apple Oatmeal and Layered Taco Appetizer PLUS Bonus Recipe!

What a busy few days!  We hit the ground running when we returned from Dallas, taking down our live Christmas tree that held all of our family and personal ornaments.  We also have a new, prelit 15-ft. tall tree that stands in our new living area in our home addition.  It was quite grand, but it will take me a few years to be able to decorate it the way I would like to!  Those large ornaments are expensive!  So, we had about 15 ornaments on that tall tree, three or four of which became victims of little boys throwing soccer balls at the tree.  They say “shatter proof” but that doesn’t mean they won’t break.  Trust me, if it can break, my four little men will figure out how to break it.  But I digress.

With all of the busyness, I decided for my last two days of crock pot cooking (for the blog series) would consist of a yummy breakfast we always enjoy as well as a couple of appetizers I made in the crock pots for our New Year’s Eve party!

Day 30:  Overnight Apple Oatmeal
I’ll say it again: there’s nothing like waking up to your hot breakfast already made and waiting for you.  It’s even better if it’s a delicious breakfast the whole family enjoys!  This recipe is tried and true, and pretty easy to make.  The worst part is peeling the apples, but if you have certain kitchen gadgets to help you (apple peeler, corer and slicer), then it’s not too bad.  I double this, so I have to peel 4 apples.  But if you are making the single recipe, it’s only 2 apples.  So, no big deal.  The rest is just dumping everything in the greased crock pot, setting your crock pot on low, and you will have your reward in the morning!

Ingredients:
4 cups Milk
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 T. Melted Butter
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
2 cups Oats (not quick oats)
2 cups Apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup Dates or Raisins (optional)
Instructions:
1.  Spray a large crock pot with nonstick spray.
2.  Combine and mix well.
3.  Cook on low overnight or 8-9 hours. Stir well before serving.  Serves about 8 (I always double this, and we don’t have any leftovers with our family of 12)
Day 31: Two Appetizers that will be a hit!
We were so happy that all our older kids decided they wanted to stay home and ring in the New Year with us.  They had been talking about going to different friends’ houses, and I was a little bummed.  But in the end, everyone stayed home.  So, we had a few friends over here, and made LOTS of food!  Yay!  There were cheese balls with crackers, desserts dips, and meatballs!  Not to mention what our friends brought.  We played games, set off fireworks, and watched the ball drop at 11 (midnight in New York) and then celebrated at midnight, central time!  It was a blast!  This taco appetizer was really  good.  I think I’ll make it again when there is less food to compete with it.  The final recipe is kind of a “bonus.”  I realized I had posted the same recipe–Calico Beans–twice during my 31-day series.  So, I’m adding another appetizer to make up for it.
Layered Taco Appetizer:
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
salt to taste
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce, or more or less to taste
2 16-oz. cans refried beans
4-oz. can chopped green chilies, drained
2-3 cups (8-12 oz.) grated Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup hot, or mild, taco sauce
tortilla chips or corn chips
garnishes: chopped tomatoes, chopped ripe olives, chopped green onions, smashed ripe avocado, cilantro, sour cream
Instructions:
1. In skillet, saute meats with onion until browned.  Drain off drippings.  Season meat with salt and hot pepper sauce to taste.
2.  Meanwhile, spread refried beans in lightly greased slow cooker.
3.  Spoon browned meat over refried beans.
4.  Top with chopped chilies.
5.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.
6.  Pour taco sauce on top of cheese.  (Do not stir).
7.  Heat in slow cooker for 30-60 minutes on High or until dip is heated through.
8.  Serve with chips and garnishes.
Cranberry Meatballs
My family will eat meat balls with any variety of sauces.  This one has a light, sweet holiday flavor because of the cranberries.  I couldn’t find two bottles of chili sauce (I think everyone else in Austin was making meatballs also), so I found a chili sauce that was a little spicy, but it worked well.  I used one regular and one of that sweet hot chili sauce, and it was really good!  I doubled this to go in my 7-qt. crock pot.
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen meatballs OR make homemade meatballs (see recipes below)
1 can jellied cranberries
12-oz. bottle chili sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp.  lemon juice
Instructions:
1.  Put frozen meatballs into crock pot.
2.  In a saucepan, combine cranberry, chili sauce, brown sugar and lemon juice.  Heat over medium-high heat until jellied sauce and brown sugar melt.  There should be no more chunks in the sauce, and it should be smooth.
3.  Pour sauce over meatballs, and stir to make sure all meatballs are coated in the sauce.
4.  Cover.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours or High for 2 hours.  Keep slow cooker on warm while serving.
Meatball Recipe:
2 lbs. ground beef
1/3 cup parsley flakes
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 cup cornflake crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
1.  In  large mixing bowl, combine ingredients until well mixed.
2.  Form into 50-60 meatballs and put in lightly greased 9×13 baking pan.  (You may need to do a couple of batches, or use a couple of pans).
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through (cut one open to check).
Variations on meatball and sauce recipe:
1. Use 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. ground pork instead of 2 lbs. ground beef.
2.  Use 10 3/4 can condensed tomato soup, mixed with 1 tsp. prepared mustard, instead of chili sauce for sauce.
Turkey Meatball recipe:
2 egg whites
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 green onions with tops, sliced
4 tsp. grated orange peel
2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Follow the steps for making  and baking meatballs, then add the sauce in crock pot.
If you choose to make your own meatballs, you can cook on Low for 2 hours, or high for 30 min to an hour, or until meatballs are heated through, and sauce is bubbly.
I pray that you all have a happy and healthy 2016!  Check in with me for adoption updates as well as more recipes and other content this year!  Looking forward to an amazing 2016.